Kentucky facing two big obstacles in Boise. ‘We’ve got to be tight ... we’ve got to be right.’

Kentucky Coach John Calipari did not sound optimistic Monday about Jarred Vanderbilt playing in Boise, Idaho, later this week.

“He knows if he’s not able to go full bore, I’m not playing him for him or us,” Calipari said on a Southeastern Conference teleconference. “If he’s at 85, 90 percent, I don’t think I play him.”

Kentucky, 24-10 and the No. 5 seed in the South Region, opens play in the NCAA Tournament against Davidson on Thursday in Boise. The winner of that game will play either Arizona or Buffalo in the second round on Saturday.

Kentucky won the SEC Tournament in St. Louis last weekend without Vanderbilt, who is the team’s leading rebounder and spark plug off the bench. Calipari all but said UK will have to try to advance in the NCAA Tournament without Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt injured an ankle during a practice before the SEC Tournament, UK said.

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“He’s proven who he is as a player,” Calipari said. “But more importantly, anybody who steps on that court who can’t bring it, these tournament games are life and death. The other team is going to bring it. So my guess is it will be hard (for Vanderbilt to play) this weekend. He wants to play. But I just don’t see it right now, being able to put him in there and feel comfortable about it.”

A foot injury delayed Vanderbilt’s debut until the game at South Carolina on Jan. 16. He leads UK in rebounding (7.9 rpg) despite averaging the seventh-most minutes.

When asked if Vanderbilt could play the following weekend in the South Region in Atlanta should Kentucky win two games in Boise, Calipari said, “Maybe. Maybe.”

Besides Vanderbilt’s ankle injury, Kentucky has another seemingly significant issue to handle going into the NCAA Tournament. UK returned from St. Louis on Sunday afternoon and designated Monday as a required day off from basketball activities each week.

The NCAA Tournament is upon us, but the madness of March goes beyond the court. The amount of money the TV industry, its advertisers and fans spend on the tournament are pretty crazy too.

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The trip to Boise, which requires an adjustment to Mountain Daylight Time and will include media sessions on Wednesday, means a cramped time for preparation.

“I’ve been told that doesn’t matter at all,” Calipari said facetiously. “People who aren’t coaching in this thing say, ‘Ah, it’s just a plane flight. So what if it’s two hours difference? So what if it’s across the country? And so what if it’s one less day? None of that matters.’”

Calipari said being asked about preparation as a cram session showed that it mattered.

“I told the staff, we’ve got to be tight,” he said. “We’ve got to know what we work on. And then we’ve got to be right.